FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[John S. White]

Carles:

I was excited to see your photos of the schorl ( https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?p=4386#4386 )
I have an identical specimen but only a single crystal that I acquired in 2000 from a Pakistani dealer. Oddly enough, my single crystal is exactly 37 mm in length also. It has been photographed by Jeff Scovil and the photo appeared in extraLapis English #3, "Tourmaline", p. 22. Mine is the one on the right, I sold the other one.

The locality given for my crystal is Dazu, Skardu.

[Carles Millan]

Hi John!

The dealer who provided the specimen just two months ago stated it was from Laila, but a friend of mine (and yours) who has a great knowledge of the Pakistan Northern Areas minerals, and who also owns a very similar piece, has some doubts about it being from there. Indeed Laila is not a real locality but a high mountain (6886 m) and so a wide area ( https://CarlesMillan.cat/min/NPakistan.png ), where there must be several points of extraction. As you well know, most miners are reluctant to disclose the exact location of the pieces they supply and so they sometimes lie.

I'll note in my records the locality you give (Dazu), but as everybody knows there is a lot of confusion with the Northern Areas locality names because of diverging transliterations. Might "Dazu" be located in the very Laila area? If so, there would be no contradiction.

Unfortunately I don't have the extraLapis English #3, "Tourmaline", but I'll try someway to get or see that issue.

John, please, would it be possible for you to post here a photo of your specimen and/or more info about where exactly Dazu is?

Thanks,

[Jordi Fabre]

Dazu is probably a corruption of the name of the well know Dassu locality: Dassu, Shigar Valley, Skardu District, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan.

Jordi

[Joan Massagué]

The "Dazu" locality mentioned by John may well be the Dassu/Dasu/Dacha/Dache hamlet up in the valley that leads towards the Laila Peak base. This is not to be confused with the Dassu in Shigar Valley. It seems very likely that the two specimens from John that were featured in extraLapis a few years ago and the current specimens that Carles and I (and a well known Internet dealer) own, all come from the same locality, given the very unique habit of these crystals. That said, I have no independent verification that these schorls come from one Dassu or the other.

Two views of my specimen are included below.

[John S. White]

Here is the Jeff Scovil photo of my schorl from Pakistan. My crystal is on the right.

[Carles Millan]

Hi John!

They both seem to be either from the same locality or from two very close sites. Until we get more details, I'm going to consider my specimen as coming from Dache/Dassu-Laila, although with a question mark.

Below a double photo with the purpose of making the comparison easier.

Thank you,

[John S. White]

I think we both can agree that this is a very odd habit for schorl, I like to call it the ""pencil habit."

[alfredo]

Perhaps this is proof of sexual reproduction in minerals: Its mother was a schorl; its father was an aegirine?
;-))

[Carles Millan]

Alfredo:

I suggest you to develop that hypothesis (the intimate relationship between aegirine and schorl) and write the results for The Mineralogical Record.

[Carles Millan]

Hi John!

>I think we both can agree that this is a very odd habit for schorl, I like to call it the ""pencil habit."

I agree. Naming it "the pencil habit" might be a very good idea.

[Aymeric]

I have a Schorl tourmaline with a quite similar kind of termination, but similarity stops there as it's not as sharp and has a very nice blue sheen which those pictured above doesn't seem to have. Seller told me it's from Chamacchu.

[Carles Millan]

Hello!!

Could you please post a picture of it for us to see?

Thanks,

[Aymeric]

Hello Carles !

Sure ! that was my plan, but I need first to locate it. I think I know where I've stored it and will shoot some pics tomorrow. I just hope I can catch the blue sheen !

[Carles Millan]

Hi!

As a recap, I think the owners of those 'pencil habit' schorl specimens may temporarily consider them to come from Dache (Dassu), from Laila, or from somewhere in between. Or still better, from the Dache-Laila area.

Of course, as Joan Massagué wrote above, there is no independent verification that this is true, but I hope the exact location will some day be disclosed. In the meantime I think there is nothing wrong with registering that area as if it were their locality, with a question mark if you prefer.

[Aymeric]

Greetings everyone !

Sorry for my late reply, I'm so busy nowadays I hardly find time to visit forums.
As for the locality, I've seen yesterday some offered on the net, and they are labelled as coming from "Laila".

Only the SW slopes are part of Haramosh valley, where is localted Dassu/Dache, so as long as a more precise location is know, I think that it's better to use Laila peak.

The one I have was labelled as coming from Chamachhu, and although having a tapered termination, it is in no way comparable to the Laila's ones I think.

HEre a few pics, with some close up on the green and blue sheen areas.